As Uganda prepares for a new cabinet following President Yoweri Museveni’s swearing-in after the 2021 elections, attention is turning to the legacy of outgoing Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja and how she rose to the country’s top government office.
Speaking during an interview on NBS Television on Friday, Parliament Principal Press Secretary Sabiti Joseph reflected on Nabbanja’s appointment and the perception barriers she broke through on her way to becoming Uganda’s first female Prime Minister.
“We had constructed that to be the prime minister, you had to move in a certain way, talk through your nose, and so many things, and then boom, Museveni gave us Rt. Hon. Robinah Nabbanja,” Sabiti said.
His remarks pointed to long-held stereotypes about leadership style and presentation in Uganda’s political establishment, suggesting that Nabbanja’s elevation disrupted traditional expectations of who qualifies for top office.
Nabbanja was appointed Prime Minister in June 2021 following the general elections, replacing Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda.
Before her appointment, she served as the Woman Member of Parliament for Kakumiro District and held the position of State Minister for Health (General Duties), where she was involved in coordination of government response systems, including during the COVID-19 pandemic period.
Sabiti also highlighted a lesser-known aspect of her political journey, noting that her communication style was once restricted even within government ranks.
“Interestingly, when she was a state minister, the senior minister had banned her from speaking to the press,” he revealed.
Despite such limitations, Nabbanja’s political career continued to advance within the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), eventually culminating in her appointment to the premiership as part of a broader post-election cabinet reshuffle by President Museveni in 2021.
Her rise was widely viewed as part of a generational and stylistic shift in Uganda’s executive leadership, with Museveni selecting leaders with strong grassroots political experience.